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Charlie Partridge weighs in on Chris Borland’s surprise retirement

Charlie Partridge weighs in on Chris Borland’s surprise retirement

Florida Atlantic head coach Charlie Partridge suggested Saturday there is more than meets the eye to the recent retirement of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland.

Partridge coached Borland for three years at Wisconsin from 2011-13, where Partridge served as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Borland was a linebacker, who early in his career also played defensive end on third-down situations.

“It did surprise me,” Partridge said of the 24-year-old’s decision to quit the game after his rookie year in the NFL. “He loves football; he’s as passionate about it as anybody I’ve ever coached. For him to have made that decision, there’s probably things going on that none of us really know about.”

A third-round pick of the 49ers, the 5-foot-11, 248-pound Borland became a starter at linebacker when Patrick Willis was injured. He had a team-high 102 tackles with two interceptions and a sack over the final eight games of the season. He retired last week, citing concerns about head trauma.

“The reality is if you’re a rookie in the NFL, who’s undersized and running a 4.8 (in the 40), you do whatever it takes to make the roster,” Partridge added. “I’ll let you read between the lines on that one.

“He loves the game. The great thing about Chris is he handled his academics very well, and he’s choosing to step away from the game. I get it, but I’m surprised.”

Partridge said Borland was 5-10 and weighed 230 when the Wisconsin coaching staff decided to use him as a pass rushing defensive end on third downs.

“No one could block him,” he said. “He was arguably our best pass rusher, and we had some pretty good ones that year.

“He’s special, the game will miss him, but he’ll be fine.”

Borland amassed more than 400 tackles during his career at Wisconsin, during which he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2009 and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 - after being only a three-star recruit coming out of high school in Kettering, Ohio.

“Among the players I’ve had, he was in the top 2 percent in terms of his motor playing the game,” Partridge said. “He just loved to play. And I loved the kid.”